Thill-loop.



No. 804,475. PATENTED NOV. 14, 1905. G. A. JAGKY.

THILL LOOP.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 7, 1905.

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CHESTER A. JACKY, OF COULEE CITY, -WASHINGTOY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO ALFRED A. CAST, OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

THILL-"LOOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1905.

Application filed February 7, 1905. Serial No. 244,624.

lee City, in the county of Douglas and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Loops, of which the following is a specification.

This invention provides a thill loop of novel construction which will admit of backing the horse into the shafts or thills in the act of harnessing without requiring the care and causing the veXation usually attendant upon guiding the thills through the loops and wholly obviating the necessity of wrapping the straps about the thills, thereby greatly facilitating the operation of harnessing as well as unhitching.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings.

While the essential and characteristic features of the invention are susceptible of modification, still the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a thillloop embodying the invention, showing a portion of a thill and a part of the harnesssaddle, the parts being in cooperative rela-' tion. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the thillloop on the line :1: 0c of Fig. 8. Fig. 3 is a side view of the thill-loop as seen from the outer most side member. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the hook and link and com ponent parts of the sling, the same being separated.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by'the same reference characters.

In general appearance the thill-loop is of ordinary construction and is suspended from the tug 1 and connected to the belly-band (not shown) in the accustomed manner.

A thill -loop constructed in accordance with this invention comprises a lower portion, designated as a sling, and comprising ahook 2 and link 3, and an upper portion composed of a billet 4 and a short strap 5. The hook 2 has an opening 6 at one end, forming a cross-bar, to which the billet 4 is attached in the usual manner. The opposite end of the hook 2 is providedwith a headed stud 7 to make interlocking engagement with the link 3. The hook 2 and link 3 are preferably formed of steel, although metal of any kind may be employed in their formation. The link 3 is attached to the short strap 5 in substantially the same manner as the hook 2 is connected to the billet 4. The opening of the link 3 is contracted at its lower end to snugly receive the shank of the stud 7 and insure interlocking of the parts when coupled, so as to prevent casual displacement. The short strap 5 is provided at its opposite end with a buckle 8, to which the upper end of the billet 4 is connected by being passed through the buckle-frame and engaged with the tongue thereof, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 2, the terminal portion of the billet being thrust into the loop or keeper 9 at the outer side of the shortstrap 5. The thill-loop is connected to the thill-tug by means of the buckle Sin the usual manner, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 1.

A confining-strap 10 extends across the thill-loop and is adapted to engage with the upper portion of the thill 11 and in conjunction with the sling encompass the thill and prevent vertical. play thereof. The confining-strap 10 has an end portion passed through the link 3 and stitched or otherwise secured to the lower portion of the short strap 5. The opposite end portion of the confining-strap is passed through the opening 6 of the hook 2 and is provided with a buckle 12, by means of which it is connected to the belly-band (not shown) in the wellknown manner.

A set of harness provided with thill-loops embodying the invention has said loops buckled to the thill-tugs and to the belly band. When hitching a horse to a vehicle, the thill-loops are preferably uncoupled by disengaging the hook 2 from the link 3, and the animal may be backed into the thills or the vehicle drawn forward and the thills dropped into position, this being effected without requiring the exercise of care to slip the thills through the thill-loops. After the animal has been properly positioned with reference to the thills the component parts of the thill-loops are fitted about the thills or shafts and are coupled by engaging the headed stud 7 with the link 3. When unhitching the horse, the parts 2 and 3 are uncoupled, thereby releasing the thills and preventing the dragging of the harness over the thills, as is the case with harness provided with thillloops of ordinary construction.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. A thill-loop having a side member composed of separable parts, means for coupling said parts, and a confining-strap extended across the loop and secured at one end to the separable member and loose at its opposite end and passed through an opening of the opposite member of the loop, substantially as set forth.

2. A thill-loop comprising a sling of rigid material, a strap having one terminal loosely connected with an end of the sling and provided at its other terminal with a buckle, and a billet attached at one extremity to the other end of the sling and at the other exother side of the loop, substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHESTER A. JACKY. Nitnesses A. T. McDoNALD, RICHARD PHILLIPS. 

